Reflections Upon Shattered Glass, Ripples Across Still Water
by Zacarais
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki, former Substitute Shinigami. Now he is powerless after his defeat of Aizen. But just to what lengths will he go in order to regain his power? And what challenges does he face when he does? IchigoxKyoka
1. Chapter 1: The Thought of a Voice

Alright peoples. After reading Bleach fanfiction for about three months straight and suffering through sleep deprivation because of it, I decided to make a Bleach story of my own! Because this idea was a rather spontaneous thought, so please pardon me if I come off as a subpar writer... .

* * *

Crack!

Aizen turned around ever so slightly, with a look of disinterest upon his face.

I had arrived, landing on the ground hard enough to utterly destroy the concrete. The chain of Tensa Zangetsu was wrapped around my right arm. I was no longer afraid because I had finally mastered my zanpakuto. Perhaps a long time ago, I once feared. Now, my eyes hold fear no longer as I behold my enemy.

I felt something akin to pity for Aizen. This... thing in front of me could no longer be called a human or shinigami. His eyes were black and beetle-like. His face lost all semblance to the kind, caring face of Captain of the Fifth Division. Wings sprouted from his shoulder blades giving him the ironic appearance of a delicate butterfly. And yet he stood over a dying Ichimaru and a weeping Matsumoto. He was so monstrously indifferent, as if the world could burn for all he cared. A hole emblazoned his chest, with the Hogyoku secured in the middle. It pulsed steadily with a purple light.

"Let's go somewhere else. I don't want to fight here."

"Those are the words of someone who has the strength to fight me."

"... Impossible... By strength alone..."

"I'll end this in an instant."

"You should despair."

"If I wanted to, I could shatter your blade in one blow!"

"Hado #90! Kurohitsugi!"

"I am stronger than you are now."

"Why do you distance yourself?"

"Do not get above yourself, human!"

"Now I am the transcendent one and you will die by my hand."

"Is this all you've got?"

"I will show you the Final Getsuga Tensho."

"It isn't possible! A mere human could never surpass me!"

"Mugetsu."

"You lose, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"The Hogyoku has decided I no longer need a zanpakuto!

"Urahara Kisuke!"

"Maybe Aizen lost his powers because that's what he wanted."

"And there was nothing in his sword but loneliness."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Ichigo awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily and his heartbeat was erratic.

"Damn," he swore, wiping the sweat off of his face.

Ichigo had continuously had these dreams every night, ever since he lost his powers by using the Final Getsuga Tensho. Fragments of memories and mists of thought floated about his mind as he tried to dispel the vivid yet incomplete images of his battle against Aizen. For seventeen months, he would wake up in the same disheveled and shaken manner, cursing his dreams.

'Why will they not leave of alone?' he thought torturously with his face buried in his hands. 'Is it not enough that I lost all of my powers? Or that no one has come to with thanks for saving the world?'

Ichigo sat up in his bed scowling. Only when he lost the power that was so precious to him, did he realize how much he had taken for granted. He missed the running out of class to defeat a hollow, laughing as his friends caught up after the hollow had already disintegrated with his zanpakuto buried in its mask. He missed comforting the souls of people who still lingered in the living world. Heck, he even missed Rukia kicking his shins after insulting her. Rukia... She never did come to visit him. Every day he waited for her and every night he went to sleep disappointed, with only his nightmares to greet him. He had to live his plain, ordinary, powerless life uncomplainingly, to prevent others from worrying about him. Now, he sat in class as his friends made lame excuses to leave class to fight a hollow and he watched enviously as they came back slightly out of breath and grinning at each other. He walked back to his house alone each day and thought it extremely disconcerting to not see a single soul on the way home. But most of all, he wanted to see the fire in Rukia's icy eyes. Sometimes, he would even insult Rukia when he was by himself, just to see if she would appear and start beating him. It never happened.

In his desperation, Ichigo even swallowed his pride and begged for Urahara to help him regain his powers. Urahara agreed without complaint, but both of them knew that Ichigo was merely being humored. The reiatsu exercises that Ichigo performed would not help him for another few years at least.

To protect. Was it even worth it anymore? The ones who protected were no longer him; Chad, Ishida, and Orihime had taken up that role, and he would never be able claim to be the protector of the people he loved ever again. What did he live for? Nothing. Well, that was besides his family, and he could not protect them anyway. What did he gain from living? Nothing, besides the terrible nightmares of the day he lost his powers for people who didn't care about him.

Ichigo clenched his teeth and scowled even harder. He punched the wall in anger, only to quickly retract his throbbing fist and swear again. He glared at the offending wall, which mocked his weakness. Oh, how he wished he never lost his powers. The wall would have a huge hole punched though it for its impudence.

Ichigo reclined in his bed once more. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard from his inner hollow or Zangetsu for seventeen months. His head was much quieter without the obscenities spewing from the hollow's mouth. But he did miss the advice that Zangetsu used to give him. The old man was like another father to him. Ichigo smiled, remembering that Zangetsu was unfailingly standing on the same flagpole every time Ichigo visited his inner world and that the zanpakuto spirit could not even talk without a dramatic breeze blowing past his cloak.

Ichigo almost chuckled at his nostalgic thoughts, but he grew grim once more as he remembered his powerlessness and Zangetsu's absence. He thought of his question once more, and after a few minutes he came to the conclusion that there was no other significant reason that he was alive right now other than the fact the Soul Society wished it. He snorted. 'I'll show them,' he thought, "When I die, I'll gain my powers again and blow everyone away. They'll be sorry they gave me the cold shoulder.'

Content with his promise and finding that he could not sleep anymore, Ichigo decided to take a walk. The fact that there was still school tomorrow did not matter to him; he needed sometime to think. He slowly crept past his sisters' room, careful not to wake them. He was suddenly struck by how fragile a life was. A Hollow could burst into the house right now, and he would be powerless to stop it. He could do nothing as the Hollow devoured his sisters, and it was all because he was so weak. Ichigo's vision suddenly blurred, and he quickly swept the moisture away. No matter how weak he felt, he could to allow himself to show it. His weakness was his burden only.

The moon above shone brightly as Ichigo walked under its luminescence. It was a half moon tonight, looking like Zangetsu had cut it cleanly in half. Ichigo was once again reminded of the absence of his zanpakuto. How foolish he was to have thought that everything would be fine, even though he lost his powers. His friends could protect Karakura town. Soul Society would continue protect people from Hollows.

Ichigo snarled softly and kicked at the ground. Once again, he was reminded of the betrayal of Soul Society. He had lost everything, given up his role as the protector in order to protect the spirit world, and the thanks he received was a whole truckload of the cold shoulder. The worst part was that he could not even do anything about it. He was, after all, powerless, useless now to the world.

Ichigo stopped. Useless... He was useless. Did he have any reason to live anymore? No, he did not. Why not just end it all? He would go to Soul Society as a true soul, and Soul Society would never be able to cast him away like a broken marionette with cut strings. He could die. No one would even miss him. He could end it all...

And the moment that thought latched on to Ichigo's mind, he knew that he could never shake it off. Yet he felt a grim sort of satisfaction because he knew that if he died, he would definitely have the power to protect, the captains would not have the power to dispose of him. Yes. That was what he would do for regain his power. He, Kurosaki Ichigo, was going to end his own life.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Ichigo sat on the edge of the bridge that crossed the Onose River [1]. He looked upon his beloved hometown and marveled at the lights that flickered in the houses. A single car stopped next to him, but soon sped on, the driver no doubt unwilling to burden himself by helping this young man about to kill himself. But Ichigo did not care. It was better this way; he did not want to deal with someone trying to stop him. The cool wind ruffled his hair and he had a serene look on his face. This was the calmest he had felt for a long time, and he wanted to savor the peace before he left. He closed his eyes and smiled, happy that he would finally be able to become strong once more. He let go on the railing he had been holding on to and leaned forward.

_No._

Ichigo faltered, startled by the disembodied voice that rang about him.

_Do not._

"Who are you?" Ichigo scowled. He had never heard this voice before. It was all around him, and he could not even discern the gender of the person the voice belonged.

_Who am I? Who are you?_

Ichigo swiveled his head left and right, but he could see no one. He was rapidly losing his temper because the voice had broken his concentration, and now he was not so sure about his decision to end his own life. However, he still inched forward a bit to see if the voice would speak again.

_You fool._

Ichigo jerked backward from the ledge. He began to sweat slightly, despite the chilly air. His resolve was broken beyond repair because right then, he swore he heard Rukia's voice.

_You fool,_ the voice repeated. _Why are you doing this?_

Ichigo knew that he could not possibly be hearing Rukia, but he could not bring himself to ignore the aching in his heart. "Rukia?"

The voice paused for a moment, contemplating. Then it said something that made Ichigo visibly flinch.

_The things that you wish to protect are not the things that I want to protect._

Ichigo's eyes widened. "How do you know what Zangetsu said?"

The voice deliberately said, _You should know me. I am..._

Ichigo waited and, when no further comment was forthcoming, repeated his question. The voice finally responded, with a hint of sadness, _You will soon know that what Zangetsu said is not only true of him._

"What do you mean by that?" exclaimed Ichigo. However the voice fell silent. And Ichigo was left with an intense curiosity. He glanced half-heartedly down at the hungry waters.

"You better mean what you said," Ichigo mumbled tiredly.

The only reply was the caress of the wind upon his face.

* * *

[1] I dearly hope that this is the correct river. There are two in Karakura, and i was going for the one that used to lead into the Valley of Screams. If this is the wrong river, then... leave me a review and tell me! xD

Also, guess who the voice is? Even if it is blatantly obvious in more than one way? -.-

Alright peoples. Review, tell me what you think (even if just to make a comment about my grammar or spelling). Make me proud! Because when the author is happy, more stories shall be forthcoming! :D


	2. Chapter 2: A New World, A New Beginning

Here is the next chapter to this story peoples! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate seeing that people are paying attention to my story. For that, I am very grateful!

Also, I'm not complaining, but remember guys, if you want suggest something about this story of point out something you don't like, you have to tell me! Or else I have nothing to work off of, and I get all paranoid and to think that you guys hate it. -_- So please review and tell me what you think.

Also, special thanks to Thorndsword, who gave me some good ideas for the plot of this story. Applause to him/her! Now let the story begin!

Disclaimer: I forgot this in the previous chapter, but I don't own anything Bleach-related.

* * *

-Ichigo...-

-Ichigo...-

-Ichigo...-

"Go away," Ichigo mumbled, stirring slightly and waving his hand in the general direction of the voice.

"ICHI-NII!"

Startled, Ichigo's sat up abruptly. His head knocked painfully against another object.

"Damnit!" Ichigo swore. He did not remember there being anything above his bed. "Who—"

"Don't swear in front of your sister!" Another voice shouted, and a fist slammed against Ichigo's head, raising another bump on his head.

"What the hell!" Ichigo exclaimed. He received another punch for his foul language.

Wisely, Ichigo kept his mouth shut this time, and he cautiously opened his eyes. Once his vision worked properly, he saw his sister Karin and his father Isshin in his room. Karin was leaning against his desk, also rubbing her head. His father was laughing maniacally, winding up for another punch. Without hesitation, Ichigo punched Isshin first and threw him out the window, like he did every single morning when his father attacked him as a wake-up call. Isshin's laughter cut off abruptly after a dull thump was heard below the window.

Ichigo turned back to his sister. "Sorry," he apologized, "Are you okay?"

Karin walked towards the door, grumbling. She stopped in front of the doorway and said, "Yeah, I'm alright. Are you? Dad hit you pretty hard there."

Ichigo snorted and stood up, stretching his arms. "Are you kidding me? He does that every single morning. I'm used to his craziness already." He paused. "By the way, why are you in my room?"

Karin smirked. "Nothing much, although you might want to know that you're going to be late for school. See you!"

If Karin was expecting a more visible reaction from Ichigo, she was going to be disappointed. After she ran downstairs, Ichigo stood where he was. Yes, he heard her, but he suddenly felt that school just was not his one of his priorities anymore. Ichigo sat back down upon his bed with a heavy sigh. 'No,' he reflected, revising his previous thought, "I want to hear that voice again. I can't believe that it just left me hanging last night.'

'Last night. That's right. Last night I wanted to... kill myself,' Ichigo remembered, "And I would have, if not for that voice.' He could not decide whether he was angry or grateful for the voice's intervention, so he settled for irritated.

'Maybe I should stay home today,' Ichigo thought, 'I'll see if I can force the voice out—'

"Time to go Ichi-nii!" Karin's voice rang out impatiently from downstairs.

"Alright calm down, Karin! You two go without me!" Ichigo shouted back.

"Hurry up, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu, Karin's twin, called out. The front door slammed shut.

Ichigo looked out his window. The sun shone brightly over Karakura town, illuminating the rows of houses and casting shadows behind the buildings. After pondering a moment, an errant thought floated across his mind. 'Huh. I'm used to be like those sunbeams. I shone upon Soul Society and protected them them. Now look. I'm like the the shadows, cast behind Soul Society, no longer needed.' He gave a short, bitter bark of laughter. 'Ha! Getting all poetic, aren't I?'

Ichigo scowled at his own frivolity. He desperately wanted to skip school, but on the other hand, he did not want his sisters to realize that something was wrong. If something happened to him, Yuzu and Karin would be devastated. He thought about their smiling faces, the he imagined what their expressions would be if he died. Ichigo shuddered; he did not want to think about the effect of his death on his family. Reluctantly, he began to prepare himself for school, even though he was already late.

Finally, Ichigo was ready. Knowing that he didn't have time to eat breakfast, he shoved a piece of bread in his mouth and hastily opened the door.

Bang! Ichigo jumped a foot into the air nearly spat out his toast in surprise. His father was sprawled out in front of the doormat, clutching at his bleeding nose.

"Dad?" Ichigo was surprised. Isshin was outside about forty minutes.

"Aha!" Isshin's laughter was slightly muffled. "There you are! Come to finish me off eh? Give it your best shot!" He jumped up and pretended to throw a punches, although the effect was slightly ruined due to the fact that blood was still spouting from his nose.

Ichigo deadpanned. "I'm going to school. See you in the afternoon."

"Oh, okay," Isshin replied, sounding disappointed, but he immediately perked up. "Have fun at school!"

"Hm," Ichigo replied absentmindedly, eager to get away from his frantically waving maniac of a father.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

As Ichigo rounded a corner and disappeared from view, Isshin slowed his waving. His smile morphed into a frown, and he wiped the blood from his face. He let out a sigh, sounding old beyond his years, and gently closed the door. Contrary to what Ichigo believed, he had not been laying in the street for forty minutes. Granted, Ichigo's punches were gettIng stronger every morning, but Isahin was able to quickly get up to complete some business.

Isshin picked up a phone and dialed a number he was very familiar with. A lighthearted voice came through.

"Hello? This is Urahara's Shop, Urahara Kisuke speaking!"

"Urahara, it's Isshin."

There was a pause on the other end. "Ah... I expect you want to talk about what you approached me with just now?" Urahara's voice became noticeably more serious.

"Yes. As much as it pains me to admit it, Ichigo's power is steadily increasing. He is getting stronger, much faster than I did after I used the Final Getsuga Tensho."

"And how is this such a bad thing?"

Isshin was angry that Urahara still did not understand the gravity of the situation. "Enough with the jokes, Urahara! When Ichigo achieves the necessary level of reiatsu, the Hollows will begin to notice and they'll go after him. I can't protect him every single moment of the day!"

"You know as well as me what Ichigo has gone through since he lost his Shinigami powers. Depression will kill him if the Hollows don't. You did sense him last night, right?"

Isshin slumped into a chair. "I know," he said defeatedly, "I just want him to be able to live a normal human life before he dies and goes to Soul Society for good. With his amount of power, it'll be a very long time before he dies as a soul." Isshin suddenly regained some of his fire. "And if a Hollow gets him, he may never even reach Soul Society!"

"Are you doubting my capabilities as a Shinigami?" Urahara's voice lowered until it was barely above a whisper.

"No, I'm just doubting your judgement!"

"How is that any better?"

"I don't know!" Isshin replied exasperatedly.

There was silence on both ends for almost a minute before Urahara broke the silence. "Like you said, Isshin, if a Hollow gets to Ichigo and we're not around, things will go very badly. He needs to be able to protect himself."

"Yes, but—"

"So you see my point!" Urahara's voice rose in excitement, sensing that he was about to win the argument.

Isshin tried to think of any other way besides what Urahara had suggested earlier that morning, but to no avail. "Fine, do what you will. But I still think that this is the worst possible method of going about this. And I swear, if Ichigo is injured too badly, I will—"

"Yes, yes, got it." Urahara regained the cheerful tone he used for customers. "And please shop with us next time!"

"Can you let me finish my sentence at least!" Isshin shouted into the telephone, but Urahara had already hung up. He shook his head, muttering, "That man. He never changes." In spite of himself, Isshin let out a reluctant chuckle at Urahara's antics. He only hoped that Urahara's Hollow bait wouldn't attract too many Hollows.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Ichigo arrived at his class just as the bell rang.

"Ichigo," the teacher acknowledged, "I'll excuse you this time. Hurry to your seat."

Ichigo nodded his appreciation at his teacher. However, he had secretly been hoping that he could miss some of the boring lecture that the teacher tortured the class with every day.

After taking roll, the teacher began class. As usual, the lecture was soporific enough to lull Ichigo to sleep, but today he did not feel as dazed as usual. The anticipation of confronting the voice after school made him tense and nervous, and his fidgeting did not go unnoticed. Ishida Uryu, the more perceptive of his group of friends, kept glancing at Ichigo to try and find out what was bothering him.

After what seemed like an eternity, it was time for lunch break and class finally ended. Ichigo rushed out of the classroom, hoping to avoid his friends. He thought he might get a head start on learning about the voice. Only when he reached the roof of the school did he realize that this was where his friends met every lunchtime. He sat down, resigned to a lunch of noisy, irrelevant questions and much wasting of time. He opened his backpack and found that he did not bring his lunch.

Chad opened the door to the roof to find Ichigo glaring at his backpack with murderous intent.

"Calm down, Ichigo. That bag never did anything to you," drawled Ishida.

"Oh shut up, Ishida," Ichigo muttered. Although it felt good to be with his friends, right now was not the time.

"Are you feeling alright?" Orihime asked.

"Yes, I'm alright," Ichigo replied, trying to sound casual.

"Are you sure? Because, you were awfully fidgety in class today. And, you know, you lost your powers and all, so you've got to be at least a bit sad, and... Oh!" Orihime cut off her own babbling as she caught the warnings that Chad and Ishida were desperately trying to convert to her.

There was a tense, awkward silence as Ichigo's friends tried each tried to think of something less dangerous to say. Finally, Tatsuki ventured forth.

"It's not the end of the world, Ichigo. I mean, even if you don't have special powers, you'll still be able to live as a regular human," Tatsuki said tentatively.

"You might even find a girlfriend. That will take your mind off things," Mizuiro suggested. Keigo nodded fervently at this as his face lit up in a perverted smile.

Ichigo really needed to leave before his friends threw him a pity party. He had to suppress a smile when thought of the perfect excuse. "Sorry guys, I just realized I forgot my lunch at home. I'll go get it. Don't wait for me!" He ran into the stairwell before anyone could respond. The people still on the roof stared at each other.

"Do you think he realizes that he left his lunch in the classroom?" Orihime asked no one in particular, holding up Ichigo's lunch bag.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Ichigo congratulated himself on his genius getaway. As he walked home, he thought about how he could communicate with the mysterious voice again. Little did he know that his life would change before he even arrived at his house.

From his vantage point on the roof of a nearby house, Urahara made some last minute preparations. He glanced at Tessai, standing next to him, who nodded to show that he was ready. They both smothered their spirit energy. Urahara broke a tiny piece of Hollow bait off of the larger piece and flicked it towards Ichigo. Tessai then surrounded the remaining larger piece with a barrier to prevent it from attracting too many Hollows, and he surrounded the vicinity around themselves and Ichigo with another barrier to keep excessive numbers of Hollows away. Having set the plan in motion, Urahara sighed and hoped that his plan would not backfire.

Meanwhile, Ichigo began to notice that an ominous pressure was bearing down upon him. He turned around just in time to get knocked down by something that he couldn't see. Upon closer investigation, Ichigo realized that it must be a Hollow, judging by its blurry outline in the air. The Hollow swung at him and he flew backward, his back slamming against the trunk of a tree.

"Shit!" Ichigo snarled as pain radiated from his lower back. If only he could see the Hollow! Then he might be able to fend it off until his father or Urahara came.

Instinctually, Ichigo knew that the Hollow must be rushing towards him. He quickly leapt aside and was rewarded with a sharp crack as the Hollow snapped the tree in half. In desperation, Ichigo launched a wide kick to where he guessed the Hollow's head was. His foot connected with something very hard and he heard a faint bellow of pain. Ichigo knew that with his limited options, he needed to finish this fight quickly. He threw out his right fist towards the direction in which he kicked with as much force as he could muster. He must have hit the mask hard enough to break it, because the Hollow began to thrash about and its outline began to fade. Regardless of his victory, Ichigo also suffered the consequences of his strong punch. His hand was in intense pain. He looked down and grimaced at the gruesome sight of three of his fingers bending in odd directions; he knew that they were dislocated.

However, Ichigo was not safe yet. Another Hollow had come to the living world inside Tessai's barrier, and it now sped towards Ichigo, roaring ferociously.

Ichigo heard the sound another Hollow and was barely able to shield his head with his left arm before he was smashed onto the ground once more. He bit down hard on his lip to suppress a cry of pain. This time, he saw that his left arm had been heavily lacerated and he could not even move it a single inch.

Ichigo looked up to see the shape of the Hollow's arm streaking towards his head. 'Wow, is this it? So my fate is to be eaten by a regular Hollow, even though I defeated the Fourth Espada and Aizen himself?' He reflected vaguely.

Ichigo closed his eyes, not wanting to see face his humiliating defeat, but the blow never came. A slight breeze brushed past his face. He opened his eyes, then blinked rapidly at the scene he saw before him. He faced an open expanse of brightly-lit space. However, the sky above churned with violent, boiling waves of liquid water that somehow defied gravity.

Ichigo fell backwards in awe of this strange place but immediately jumped up again. The ground was made of cracked glass and coated with a fine layer of powered glass; some shards stuck out of the ground at a sharp angle. Ichigo brushed the glass off of his pants, and suddenly realized that he was not wounded at all. Now, he was thoroughly weirded out.

"What the heck?" Ichigo thought aloud, "Where am I?"

_Where do you think you are, Ichigo?_ a weak voice behind Ichigo replied.

* * *

So what did you guys think? Like it? The part when Ichigo woke up was hard to write. I couldn't decide what to make him think after the events of the night before... Anyways, please tell me what you think. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3: That Is My Name

Personally, I really anticipated this chapter. Then, I wrote it, and it turned out ... Not telling you! Read it yourself! Anyway, as always, tell me what you think. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Bleach-related.

* * *

Ichigo quickly turned to find a small bed with a blanket covering the occupant.

"What did you say?" Ichigo asked, his curiosity temporarily overruling his suspicion. "And why is your voice so weak?"

_I said, where do you think you are? _the voice repeated in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I think this is my inner world," Ichigo concluded from the bizarre environment around him. "What about my second question?"

The voice hesitated, and then murmured, _Your second question is not of importance right now.  
_

Ichigo was about to yell at the person in the bed for being rude, but the person suddenly began to cough violently. Ichigo's protective nature rose and he rushed over to the bed. As the person continued to cough, curiosity got the better of him, and Ichigo cautiously shifted the sheets down.

What Ichigo saw made him gasp. The person was a woman. But he did not notice the deathly pallor of her skin or the blood trickling from the corner of her thin lips. Her dark, golden hair framed her gaunt face, covering her eyes. She shivered when the shifted blanket exposed her to a breeze. Through the thin blanket, Ichigo could see that she had a tall, slim figure. She must have sensed that Ichigo was in front of her, for she tucked the hair covering her face behind her ears and revealed to Ichigo her eyes. Her eyes were perhaps the liveliest part of her; they danced with a mysterious and fiery determination. Even in such a state, she was the most beautiful woman that Ichigo had ever seen.

Ichigo and this strange woman stared at each other for a few seconds, or perhaps a minute, or perhaps an hour for all Ichigo knew. Then, the woman tugged her sheet away from her body. She was not wearing any clothes.

"Gah! What are you doing?" Ichigo shrank back and desperately tried to cover his eyes. In doing so, he accidentally tugged the sheet down even more.

_Eager, aren't we? _she said casually, with a smirk in her voice. Her voice was distinctly feminine, and she sounded marginally better than she did when she first spoke.

Ichigo peaked through his slightly separated fingers. Seeing that the woman was now somehow clothed and the bed was now gone, he let his hands fall to his sides and let out a sigh of relief. "You could have warned me, you know."

_How? 'I'm going to get up from this bed. By the way, I'm naked'? _she quipped, wiping the blood away from her mouth.

Ichigo shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, if you put it that way..."

_Admit it. My state of undress didn't bother you at all, _she teased.

The woman took a step forward but her legs gave out under her, and she stumbled. Ichigo, being the gentleman that he was, swiftly caught her and set her on her feet.

She did not give any sign that she noticed Ichigo's help. She merely shrugged him off and said sadly, _If you knew who I am, you would not be so keen to touch me.  
_

"Are you not a zanpakuto spirit?"

_Wow, whatever gave you that hint?_she said sarcastically.

Ichigo ignored her caustic comment. "You are not my zanpakuto though. Who are you?" He questioned her, frowning.

At his statement that she did not belong to him, she flinched. She spoke softly and coldly. _I am the sword that was held in the hands of a traitor. I am the sword that placed the entire Gotei 13 under a compete illusion._ Comprehension began to dawn upon Ichigo. _I am the sword that nearly struck down Yamamoto, and I clashed with Zangetsu in our wielders' battle of wills. My name is—_

"Kyoka Suigetsu," she said with pride and Ichigo breathed with awe.

Kyoka Suigetsu waited for Ichigo to flip out and do something incredibly stupid. To his credit, he did neither, and the only thing betraying his tumultuous thoughts was a slight twitching of his eyebrows.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ichigo carefully said, "Can I just call you Kyoka? I mean, Kyoka Suigetsu has too many syllables."

Kyoka Suigetsu huffed. _After you receive a revelation of such magnitude, is that really the most pressing question you have?  
_

Ichigo scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, no. But that was one of the first that came to mind." Kyoka Suigetsu merely waited, and the influx of questions that she had been waiting for arrived.

"Okay. How did you get here? Why are you here? Why is my inner world so messed up? Where is Zangetsu? Where is my Hollow? Why am I here? If you're here, then what happened to Aizen? And you still didn't answer my previous question! Why are you ill?" Ichigo spewed, releasing all the questions he had accumulated.

_Why should I answer?  
_

"Huh?" Ichigo was startled. He did not expect to have to answer a question in return for answers.

_-You heard me. Show me you are worthy.-  
_

"Um... I incapacitated your previous wielder."

Kyoka Suigetsu gave Ichigo a patronizing look. _-You don't think I know that already?-_

Ichigo crossed his arms, scowling. "Then I will offer you my respect."

She was curious about what Ichigo meant. _-What does your respect entail?_

Ichigo smirked. "That's for you to find out."

Kyoka Suigetsu looked sufficiently intrigued, and gave in. _Fine. I shall tell you about how this,_ she gestured around her, _-happened. As you know, by the time Aizen underwent his last transformation, he was more of a monster than a Shinigami. The integration of the Hogyoku into his body meant that Aizen no longer needed or wanted me to be his partner. I tried to hold on to Aizen's will, but the Hogyoku,_ she spat the word like a curse, her face taking on a vengeful expression not matching her delicate features, _forcefully threw me aside. Thus began the deterioration of my health._

Kyoka Suigetsu shivered. _His world became even more desolate than this world is now. The sky had been almost completely evaporated, so there was pretty much nothing above. The glass of the ground had completely cracked apart, so there was almost nothing below either. It was haunting. The Hogyoku, in return for immortality and almost limitless power, was corrupting Aizen's judgment. I pleaded, I even begged him to let go of that malicious power, but Aizen was beyond reason. He stopped listening to my advice and even stopped using my powers, opting instead to use me like a lowly unreleased zanpakuto.  
_

Although her voice was steady, her shoulders hunched slightly and her thin frame trembled. Unconsciously, Ichigo laid a hand on her bare shoulder, wanting to comfort her. Kyoka Suigetsu glanced at the hand upon her shoulder, and Ichigo self-consciously lowered it.

Her voice strengthened as she continued with her story. _Your inner world is like Aizen's now because of my presence in it. However, yours is not as dead as his because you still believe in using your Shinigami powers, even if that belief is somewhat strained right now.  
_

She smiled faintly_. Do you remember when you defeated Aizen? You said something that I still remember now: there was nothing in his sword but loneliness. And you were right. I was the reason he was able to be defeated. As Aizen was always so keen to point out, the Hogyoku is subject to the person near it with the stronger willpower. My loneliness and will for him to be saved from his path to destruction became stronger than his own will to gain power._

Kyoka Suigetsu bowed her head. _Even though I was ashamed that I had condemned my own partner, I was grateful that I was able to save him from himself. But in that single instant, I relaxed, and the Hogyoku rebelled against me. I paid dearly for that moment of weakness. As you might recall, I shattered during your final bout with Aizen. That was the Hogyoku becoming confused in its loyalties, so it withdrew and betrayed both me and Aizen. When I shattered, I tried to cling on to the closest source of power that was available to me. Since Aizen was sealed, I latched onto you. And here I am.  
_

There was a pregnant pause as Ichigo digested his new information. Finally, he spoke. "What of Zangetsu then? Is he really gone?" he asked, afraid of her reply.

Kyoka Suigetsu hesitated. She did not want to cause Ichigo grief, but he needed to know the truth. _No. No, he is not gone. But at the same time, he is not here. What did he tell you when you learned the Final Getsuga Tensho?_

"He said 'With the Final Getsuga Tensho, I myself become Getsuga,'" Ichigo repeated, saddened at the last words of Zangetsu.

_Ah. Well, Zangetsu is still here. But you had used all of his powers with that final technique. Like your father, it will take you perhaps twenty years to regain enough reiatsu to reach out to Zangetsu once more._ She looked at Ichigo with sincere sorrow upon her face. _The pain of the separation of a zanpakuto and its partner is always one of the worst kinds of pain._

"I kind of expected that, you know. I hoped that you would reassure me. But no matter. Ichigo forced a weak smile onto his face. "What about my Hollow then?"

Kyoka Suigetsu frowned. _I am not so sure about it myself. Ever since I came here, there was a strange energy in the air. Not even Aizen had ever had this kind of energy. I am guessing that this would be your Hollow. If what I believe is correct, then your Hollow is still very much alive and active,_ _but it has no form to manifest itself in. _Ichigo was shocked that his Hollow survived what Zangetsu had not.

Ichigo tried to think of another question he had. "Oh, yes. How was I able to sense the two Hollows that just attacked me? Did I not lose all spiritual awareness?

_That was because of me. For seventeen months, I had tried to talk to you and you didn't listen. Eventually, I realized that I had to give you my energy, but I had to hurry because things would go very badly if the Hollows sensed you before you regained your powers._

She looked very remorseful when she mentioned this._ Evidently I failed, considering what happened today. I am very sorry that this happened. Oh, look, you are going back to the real world now, s_he observed as Ichigo began to fade. _Allow me to heal the wounds inflicted upon you by those Hollows; it's the least I can do._She reached out to Ichigo and began to gather her reiatsu.

"Stop," Ichigo commanded. He placed his hand over hers and gently lowered their hands.

Startled, Kyoka Suigetsu allowed the reiatsu to dissipate. _Why won't you let me heal you?  
_

"Aren't you ill? Did you not say that you had been steadily giving me your energy for seventeen months?" He scowled deeply as another thought came to him. "This extra energy that you release will severely worsen your condition!"

_If you die, I too, shall die,_she said.

"You should not condemn yourself," Ichigo returned adamantly.

Kyoka Suigetsu gave him a strange look. _Why are you doing this?_

"What do you mean?"

_Aizen never cared about what happened to me in battle. Why do you care about me?  
_

Ichigo smiled sadly at her. "You are a part of me now, just as Zangetsu was. I will always protect those I care for, even if it is not within my power to do so. Perhaps Aizen was different from me in that aspect."

Ichigo's confession was not the explanation that Kyoka Suigetsu expected, and it moved her greatly. As Ichigo's vision began to fade, signalng that he was about to return to the real world, she quickly grabbed his arm as his body became incorporeal.

_Wait, Ichigo?_

"Yes?"

_You may call me Kyoka._ Kyoka's clear voice lingered in the air as everything faded into darkness.

* * *

Alright peoples. Sorry that this was kind of a filler chapter, but certain things have to be cleared up. You might be wondering why some things still are not perfectly clear. That is because there will be more discussions between Ichigo and Kyoka in the near future. On the other hand, notice that the summary has been changed slightly. This is now officially a IchigoxKyoka fic! ~Applause~ Now that we are done here, remember to review and tell me what you think.


	4. Chapter 4: One Shared Soul

Alright, here is the fourth chapter. Long overdue... I beat myself up abut the tardiness at the end. You can go peruse it if you so wish.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Bleach-related.

* * *

Ichigo opened his eyes to see that the arm of the Hollow he was fighting earlier just about to hit him. 'What? Did really no time pass in my inner world?' He closed his eyes, resigned to getting stabbed at last by this persistent Hollow.

"Sing, Benihime!"

Ichigo's eyes snapped open as a crimson barrier sprung into existence right in front of his face. The Hollow's claws glanced off of the barrier. Surprised, the Hollow turned around, only to have a zanpakuto appear through its mask. The Hollow disintegrated quickly, not even having time to utter a scream.

Ichigo blink rapidly as the barrier disappeared. If a Blood Mist Shield was here, then Urahara must be as well. A cane whacking him in the side of the head a moment later confirmed his suspicions.

"What the hell, Urahara!? What was that for?"

"Oh, I'm just making sure you're alive."

"Well, I'm alive, so calm down," Ichigo mumbled as he dusted himself off and stood up. He winced at the pain his hand was in.

"So, I assume you finally have your powers back?" Urahara asked casually, fanning himself slowly.

Ichigo froze. "How would you even know that?"

"Oh, it was nothing. If you have no reiatsu, the Hollows would not target you," Urahara lied smoothly. He did not know that his method had not caused Ichigo to regain spiritual awareness.

Ichigo thought that Urahara already knew that he was regaining his powers. However, he did not want to reveal that he had Kyoka Suigetsu within his inner world so soon after Aizen had nearly ruined Soul Society. There would definitely be misconceptions about her just because she was Aizen's zanpakuto. Ah, yes. She used to be Aizen's zanpakuto, but no more. Ichigo smiled at the thought, and then quickly hid it. He did not want Urahara to notice anything strange about him.

Urahara saw a funny expression upon Ichigo's face, so he prompted him. "Well?"

"Fine. I do not have my powers back, but at the same time I do."

"What do you mean by that?"

Ichigo brushed off the question. "Eh, you'll see sooner or later."

Urahara sighed. "Fair enough. I bid you a good day."

Ichigo nodded, and then walked away without a farewell. Tessai flash-stepped next to Urahara.

"Did you sense that?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes, I did. There is something strange about Ichigo's reiatsu."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Meanwhile, Ichigo walked back to his house with no intention of returning to school. He held his right hand very gingerly. Although he was not injured within his inner world, the injuries from the Hollow had not disappeared.

_Tsk. You should have let me heal your injuries._

"Hey! I can hear you speaking, Kyoka," Ichigo observed aloud.

_Yes. Why are you so surprised? Did I not speak to you before? _Kyoka replied drily, though her voice was affectionate due to Ichigo's use of the more familiar form of her name.

When Ichigo did not have a response, Kyoka added, _You might want to not say things out loud when speaking to me. People will think you are crazy in the head._

'Well, you're the one in my head. What does that say about you?' Ichigo shot back, no longer saying the words out loud.

_Why you...! _Kyoka exclaimed, affronted,_ You need to learn some manners!_

'Alright, sorry Kyoka,' Ichigo sighed.

_It is of no matter,_ Kyoka sniffed.

'Then why'd you make a big deal out of it?'

_Ichigo, it's only an expression. It means 'apology accepted',_ Kyoka explained exasperatedly. _But that's not important. You need to..._ She hesitated.

Ichigo urged her to finish. 'Yes? What do I need to do?'

There was a lengthy silence before Kyoka responded. _I want you here with me, face to face, when we discuss this._ She refused to say any more.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Upon trying to open the door to his house with his left hand, Ichigo swore loudly. Isshin opened the door to find Ichigo almost kneeling in pain.

"Ichigo! How are you!?"

"Dad, can you not see that I messed up my hand!"

"I can see that, but how are you besides the hand?" Isshin laughed goofily.

Ichigo clenched his teeth. "Just snap the fingers back in place, alright? I don't have time for this."

Isshin raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's the hurry? We both know that you're not going back to school."

Ichigo, who was about to say that he was going back to school, quickly thought up another reply. "I was actually going to sleep for a bit. You know, I get tired sometimes," Ichigo lied lamely.

Isshin sighed at Ichigo's terrible excuse. "You could at least try to say something more believable."

"Okay, I'll try next time! Just fix my hand!"

Isshin did just so.

"Ah! That hurt!"

"What did you expect? And that was a girly scream, Ichigo."

"Shut up!"

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Ichigo sat quietly on his bed, trying to concentrate in order to reach into his inner world as he had done during his training in the Dangai. Soon, he found himself falling through the air into the familiar cracked glass of his inner world. This time he was prepared, so he landed with some gracefulness. Breathing a sigh of relief, he brushed himself off of the ground and looked around.

"Hey Kyoka! Where are you?"

_Right here._

Ichigo turned to find the blade of Kyoka Suigetsu pressed against his neck. "Whoa, calm down. What's going on?"

Kyoka sighed and her zanpakuto disappeared. _As you just saw, anyone can easily kill you. In your spiritually unaware state, you are weaker than a Shinigami academy student. At least they can cast kido spells._

"Well, I never needed to use kido before," Ichigo mumbled, annoyed that Kyoka just brought up his weak point.

_Your arrogance portrays you as an amateur._

"Kenpachi never uses kido. He just fights with brute force, and he almost always wins anyway."

_Do not hold him in high regard. You were able to defeat him once, no? If he chose to learn kido, you would not be here now. Also, you bring up a good point. I am sure that Zangetsu pointed out Kenpachi's lack of communication with his zanpakuto. Did you ever hear her mourning? Her keening silence saddens me. You should do well not to take after Kenpachi, or I will be very displeased._

"Her? Kenpachi has a female sword spirit?

_Ah, forgive me. I forget that you cannot sense such things. Yes, Zaraki Kenpachi's zanpakuto is female. She has a very peculiar ability, and if he were to bond with her, his power would be frightening indeed._

"Wait, are you trying to make a point?"

_Well, I had been hoping that I would not need to say it outright. _Kyoka sighed._ But yes. In order for you to advance and continue to protect, you will need to accept me as your zanpakuto. _Kyoka murmured sadly._ Do you know what this means?_

Ichigo asked confusedly, 'Are you not already my zanpakuto?'

_No. For me to belong to you, you and I need to have an agreement. You will have to accept me as a part of your soul._

"When I finally got through to Zangetsu, he never mentioned anything about acceptance or whatnot."

Kyoka took on a patronizing tone. _Well, Zangetsu happened to be the zanpakuto you were born with. I happen to not be._ Her voice became solemn. _Herein lays the problem. I am here while Zangetsu is not. You can either choose to wait for Zangetsu, or you can accept me as your zanpakuto._

Ichigo remained silent for a few moments. "You know, I had already given up ever meeting Zangetsu again the moment my power began to fade. I never did believe that I would get my spiritual power back."

_So you have already accepted this as your choice?_

It was difficult for Ichigo to tell her how he felt. "I don't know. Although I know Zangetsu will not be back anytime soon, he will be back eventually, and I feel as though I am betraying him."

Kyoka bowed her head. _I see. If that is your answer, I shall take my leave._ She turned away from Ichigo, head bowed.

"Wait, what will happen to you?" Ichigo protested.

Kyoka did not turn back, merely whispering, _Who knows? Maybe I'll eventually fade away as your soul begins to reject me. But it is of little consequence. I do not belong here to begin with—_

"Stop."

Kyoka's voice faltered at Ichigo's commanding tone. _Yes?_

"Don't say those things to yourself." Ichigo's voice was soft but strong. "You know that I want my power back because I want to protect those who are close to me. And who is closer to me than you, who are already a part of my soul?" Ichigo gave a genuine smile, one that had not emerged since he lost his spiritual power all those months ago.

Kyoka finally turned to face Ichigo. _Do you really mean what you said?_

"Of course. Please, allow me to be your partner from now on, Kyoka!"

_Very well. Let us commence,_ Kyoka replied more cheerfully than before, with a smile hidden in her voice.

Kyoka held out her hand, her fingers reaching out towards Ichigo. Instinctually, Ichigo raised his hand up as well. The moment their fingers touched, an intense light burst from their point of contact.

Ichigo stumbled back and cursed as streaks burst through his vision. When he recovered his sight, the first thing he noticed was that Kyoka had vanished. In her place was a woman about his age who was so excruciatingly beautiful it was almost painful to look upon her. She looked very much like Kyoka, but her appearance changed subtly and drastically at the same time. Her body was healthier and suppler than Kyoka's. Her hair extended down the length of her back, and it took on a reddish tint. Unlike before, she now had two bangs of hair framing the sides of her face. The rest lay tucked behind her ears. She became a few inches shorter, and her eyes were now a pale blue color, and they were very different from trying eyes of Kyoka. Whereas Kyoka gave off a sort of determination, this woman had eyes that radiated an aura of good cheer. Her smile lit up her face and surrounded her with a cozy joy that seemed infectious, and her sheer, white, trailing dress augmented this comforting effect.

Upon noticing her new appearance, Ichigo mused, 'I could tuck her under my chin perfectly.' Ichigo's eyes widened at this thought. He mentally shook his head and tried to steer his thoughts away from that direction. He failed miserably in that aspect. He did not know what happened, but he could not deny that this woman was even more beautiful than Kyoka.

With an uncertain smile, Ichigo tentatively asked, "Excuse me, but who are you?"

She grinned widely, finding amusement in his confusion. _What are you talking about?_ she said as she strode towards him.

Ichigo shuffled backward, slightly self-conscious as this veritable goddess approached him. "I, um... You see... Well, someone named Kyoka just... I mean, her name is Kyoka Suigetsu. She just agreed..." He hesitated for a moment, blushing, realizing how strange he sounded. "She just agreed to share her soul with mine."

_Aww... That sounds so romantic!_ the woman chuckled. _Ichigo, I am Kyoka._

Ichigo's jaw dropped through the glass floor. "You're Kyoka? How?

Kyoka shrugged and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. _I take the form of whatever my wielder wants the most, _she explained,_ I am the embodiment of the one whom you subconsciously lust for and desire. _

"That's dangerous," Ichigo muttered.

Kyoka cocked her head. _-In what way?-_

"Well, you said so yourself. Everything about you lures me in," Ichigo replied automatically, then shut his mouth, shocked that he actually said that.

_It seems that what you say is true. I doubt you have the courage to say that to a girl, unless your inhibitions are lowered. _Kyoka chuckled._ Do you mean dangerous like this?_

She stepped closer to Ichigo, who tried to back away, and flipped her hair towards his face. Ichigo was unprepared and immediately took a deep breath... And was assaulted by Kyoka's scent. It was fair to say that he lost himself. Her scent was tempting, alluring, enticing, seductive, provocative, and everything in between. It percolated through his brain and shut down his other senses, so all he could focus on was the powerful perfume of Kyoka.

As quickly as it came, it faded. Ichigo blinked dazedly and stammered, "Don't do that again."

_I don't know, it's rather fun to see your reaction,_ she remarked casually. Her sword materialized in her hand. _Look, Ichigo. See how I have changed!_

Ichigo leaned forward and noticed with a start that the hilt of Kyoka Suigetsu had changed into a green version of that of Tensa Zangetsu. Instead of the previous plain hexagon, it was now in the shape of the swastika. [1]

Kyoka winked at Ichigo. _I think I look better than I did before._

"I agree," said Ichigo, then looked away in self-consciously when he realized that he had not only meant the sword.

Kyoka understood the double meaning of his words, and her light tinkling laughter sounded through Ichigo's inner world. _I am glad you see me as such!_ She placed Kyoka Suigetsu in Ichigo's hands and slowly ran her fingers up the flat of the blade.

When Ichigo's hand gripped the handle of Kyoka Suigetsu, he felt a tingle of energy run up his arm, as if the sword was excited by his touch. Ichigo saw the warmness in her eyes as she watched him holding her blade, and he felt blessed to be given a second chance to fulfill his purpose in life.

"Thank you, Kyoka, for accepting me. I promise to learn to understand you and wield you well," he vowed.

Kyoka stepped forward and lifted her hand from the blade. Her hand rose to brush gently across Ichigo's cheek. He was so unprepared he even forgot to blush. _No. Thank you—_ she glanced up at the undulating sky _—for calming the waves,_ she finished contentedly.

* * *

[1] The symbol for swastika in Japanese is the word for ban, as in bankai (the ban release). It's not pronounced as it might in English and I'm not sure how to describe what it sounds like in English... But anyway, in case you didn't know, the swastika looks like the "Nazi symbol." It actually means peace in many cultures, but the Nazi party just so happened to use it. It looks like this - 卍 - If you do not see anything between these arrows, then the site screwed up the formatting.

And here it is. The fourth chapter. The long awaited fourth chapter. The long overdue fourth chapter. The (in my opinion) fourth chapter not worth the wait... Sigh. I had written four fifths of the a few days after the third chapter, and then life shoved me through a figurative drier filled with stress and disappointment. I promised myself that I would finish for Christmas. Then I promised myself that I would finish for the New Year. Then I promised myself that I would finish yesterday. And then I finished today, which is rather pathetic. By now, I expect I've lost most of my faithful readers and reviewers for the first three chapters, and I've probably disappointed those who remain. I apologize for everything. Thanks to the sudden rise in followers and favorites yesterday, without which I probably would still be without a finished chapter, I have finally completed this chapter. Although I probably don't deserve it, please _**review**_. You will make me happy. Thank you.


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